Undergraduate Curriculum Refocus

You may have heard discussion of the changes due to happen to undergraduate courses. These won't affect current students, but will apply to new students starting in September 2012. Below are some FAQs outlining why the University is making these changes.

What is the refocusing of the undergraduate curriculum?

We are reviewing and improving all of our undergraduate courses as we want to ensure that Leeds Metropolitan University provides you with the skills, knowledge and attitude that you need to succeed in the world of work. We’ve also listened to student feedback, and reviewed what we believe employers need from our graduates now and in the future, which has informed how we are updating our undergraduate courses.

What will it mean for me?

Overall, the courses are being developed to further improve your employability; as a Leeds Met graduate you will be able to show that you are enterprising, digitally literate and have a global outlook. Instead of taking 8 modules a year (each worth 15 credits), you will take 6 modules a year (for 20 credits each). There will be a maximum of two marked (summative) assessments per module, and you will also have the opportunity for work related learning as part of your course – this also includes opportunities for volunteering and international exchange. Teaching will take place over two 14-week semesters, and the assessments that used to take place in January will be moved to December, giving you less stress over Christmas! Overall this will enhance your attractiveness to future employers and give you a better experience with us.

Why is the University making these changes?

We’re improving our courses in response to student feedback. Students told us that they felt they undertook too many assessments, and that assessments tended to be bunched together. So we’ve reduced the number of assessments for each module to a maximum of two and ensured that the dates are better spaced out, which should enable us to offer you better quality feedback and enable you to learn in depth about your subject. You will still get informal feedback before your final assessment which will help you work towards this effectively. We also believe that embedding the graduate attributes will improve your chances of success in the future and while many of our courses include work-based learning at the moment, not all of them do, so all of our students will have this important opportunity in the future.

Which courses are being redeveloped?

All of our undergraduate courses will be redeveloped and rolled out to Level 4 from September 2012, Levels 4 and 5 from September 2013 and Levels 4, 5 and 6 from September 2014.

Has there been any consultation with students?

Yes, our University has been working closely with the Students’ Union, which represents students at our University, for some time on this.

Tashi Thornley, Associate President (Education) of Leeds Met’s Students’ Union, is closely involved with the project. She said:

“This refocusing of the undergraduate curriculum is a really positive change that is being implemented by the University and it is clear that the student voice has been at the heart of this process. It is tackling many of the issues that students feed back on: for example, having too many assessments and the problem with exams after Christmas. The changes made are going to enhance the students’ learning experience.”

How will this affect me?

New students starting in September 2012 will start the refocused curriculum. The academic calendar will change slightly for all students from 2012, with term starting a week earlier.

If you are a:

• Current student - you will continue on your current curriculum for the rest of your course
• Part-time student - new frameworks for part-time study will not be implemented until September 2012
• Postgraduate student - the curriculum refocus won’t apply to postgraduate students at this stage.

Who do I contact if I have more questions?

You should contact your STAR (Student Academic representative) or speak to your tutor or course leader.

What sorts of things have students said?

Below are just a couple of the comments from our Annual Student Survey, which highlight the issues of assessment timings which we have addressed in the curriculum refocus.

“Although I do understand that is it sometimes unavoidable, some hand in dates are very difficult to meet, especially when there are 3 modules with work to be handed in. What I suggest is devising a way of making hand in dates more manageable, for example the assessment could be broken down into parts where one part is handed in one date, another on another.”

“We had four big essays set and due in in the same week which I feel could have been spaced out more to allow more time to concentrate equally on each essay.”